Coupler



1963 K. v. LIVELSBERGER 3,114,461

COUPLER Filed Feb. 26, 1962 INVENTOR 3,114,461 COUPLER Kenneth V. Livelsherger, Alliance, Ohio, Amsted Industries Incorporated, Chicago, ration of New .Iersey Filed Feb. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 175,518 8 Claims. (Cl. 213-146) assignor to 111., a corpo- This invention relates to railway car couplers and more particularly to a coupler adapted for use on a rotary dump car to prevent accidental unlocking of the coupler.

Briefly, the present invention contemplates the provision of a rotary bottom operated coupler embodying one anticreep means operable to prevent accidental unlocking of the coupler during movement of a dump car along a track, and a second anticreep means operable to prevent accidental unlocking of the coupler during rotary dumping of the car.

An object of the invention is to provide anticreep means operable to prevent accidental movement of a coupler lock to its unlocked position responsive to vertical bounce of the coupler or during rotation of the coupler to :an inverted position.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a coupler anticreep mechanism which is relatively simple and inexpensive in construction and reliable in operation.

The invention embodies other novel features, details of construction and arrangement of parts which are hereinafter set forth in the specification and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of a rotary bottom operated coupler embodying features of the invention, the parts being shown in locked position.

FIGURE 2 is a section corresponding to FIGURE 1 showing the coupler in an inverted position.

Referring now to the drawings, the invention is shown as embodied in a conventional rotary bottom operated coupler of the general type shown and described in United States Patent 2,160,419, granted May 30, 1939, to Kinne et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

The coupler is shown as comprising a coupler head 2 having a knuckle 3 pivotally mounted thereon by means of a pivot pin 4. A pair of spaced lugs 6 depend from the head "2, at the rear of a bottom opening 7, to support a trunnion it. A rotor lever 9 is formed with a hook portion 11 at one end thereof to pivotally engage the trunnion 8, the opening It? in the hook portion being elongated to permit vertical movement of the rotor lever relative to the trunnion to cause a secondary anticreep lug 12 on the hook portion to engage a rear wall 13 when the coupler is rotated to its inverted position, as illustrated in FIGURE 2.

The other end of the rotor lever 9 is formed with an opening 14 to receive the lower end of a lifter 16 formed with an elongated slot 17 to receive a pin 18 mounted in aligned openings 19 in the lever. A bridge 21 is provided on the end of the rotor lever for abutting engagement against a safety lug 22 formed on the lifter 16 to provide a primary anticreep. A jaw 23 is formed on the upper end of the lifter 16 to engage a bar 24- provided on a lock 26. The rotor lever is formed with an eye 27 to receive a hook shaped portion 28 of a conventional manual operating rod 29, the lever having a lug 31 thereon for engagement by the hook portion during rotation of the operating rod in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 1, to unlock the coupler.

When the parts are in locked position, as shown in FIGURE 1, the lock 26 rests upon a body lock rest 32, the lifter 16 is seated on the lock at 33 and on a body bridge 34, and the lever pin 18 is seated at the lower end of the slot 17 to position the lever 9 on the trunnion 8.

In the operation of the primary anticreep to prevent accidental unlocking of the coupler due to quick vertical movements, the safety lug 22 on the lifter 16 provides a stop means against which the bridge 21 will abut to prevent turning of the rotor lever 9. During manual operation of operating rod 29 to unlock the coupler, the rod is rotated in a clockwise direction to pivot the rotor lever 9 upwardly. During pivotal movement of the rotor lever, the bridge 21 is moved out of engagement with the lug 22, and the lifter 1e and lock 26 are then free to be raised to lockset position, as shown and described in Patent No. 2,160,419.

When a dump car and coupler thereon are rotated to an inverted position, as shown in FIGURE 2, the elongated opening 10 permits the rotor lever to move downwardly by gravity to dispose the secondary anticreep lug 12 in abutting engagement against the wall 13 to prevent accidental unlocking of the coupler from a mating coupler on an adjacent dump car.

I claim:

1. In a bottom rotary operating railway dump car coupler, a coupler head having a back wall, a trunnion depending from and integral with said back wall, a lock operable in said head, a lifter having its upper end connected to the top of said lock, a rotor lever having at one end thereof a hook portion pivotally mounted on said trunnion and movable vertically toward said back wall, means pivotally interconnecting the lower end of said lifter to said rotor lever, primary anticreep means on said lever cooperating with means on said lifter to prevent accidental movement of said lock from its locked position when said coupler is in its normal upright position, and a secondary anticreep means on said hook portion movable into position for abutting engagement with said back wall to prevent accidental movement of said lock from its locked position when the coupler is rotated to an inverted position.

2. A coupler according to claim 1 in which said secondary anticreep means comprises a lug fixed on said hook portion to engage said back wall.

3. In a car coupler, a coupler head having a back wall, a trunnion depending from and integral with said back wall, a lock operable in said head, a rotor lever mounted on said trunnion for pivotal movement and limited vertical movement, a lifter having its upper end connected to said lock and its lower end connected to the free end of said rotor lever, means on said lever cooperating with means on said lifter to provide a primary anticreep for said lock, and other means on said lever engageable with said back wall to provide a secondary anticreep when said coupler is rotated to an inverted position.

4. In a car coupler, a coupler head having a back wall, a trunnion depending from and integral with said back wall, a lock operable in said head, a rotor lever mounted on said trunnion for pivotal movement and limited vertical movement, a lifter having its upper end connected to said lock and its lower end connected to the free end of said rotor lever, means on said lever cooperating with means on said lifter to provide a primary anticreep for said lock, and a lug on said lever engageable with said back wall to provide a secondary anticreep when said coupler is rotated to an inverted position.

5. In a car coupler, a coupler head having a back wall, a trunnion depending from and integral with said back wall, a lock operable in said head, a rotor lever mounted on said trunnion for pivotal movement and limited vertical movement, a lifter having its upper end connected to said lock and its lower end connected to the free end of said rotor lever, means on said lever cooperating with means on said lifter to provide a primary anticreep for cal movement, a lifter having its upper end connected said lock, and a lug on said lever engageable with said to sai lock and its lower end connected to the free end back wall to provide a secondary anticreep when said of said rotor lever, means on said lever cooperating with coupler is rotated to an inverted position, said lug being means on said lifter to provide a primary anticreep for normally spaced downwardly from said back wall. 5 said lock, and a lug on said lever engageable with said 6. In a car coupler, a coupler head, a trunnion dependback wall to provide a secondary anticreep when said mg from s id head, a lock operable in said head, a rotor coupler is rotated to an inverted position, said lever havlever mounted on said trunnion for pivotal movement mg a hook portion engaging said trunnion, and said lug and limited vertical movement, a lifter having its upper forming part of said hook portion, said rotor lever having end connected to said lock and its lower end connected 10 an eye portion, and an operating rod connected to said to the free end of said rotor lever, means on said lever eye porti n. cooperating with means on said lifter to provide a pri- 8. In a bottom rotary operating railway dump car mary anticreep for said lock, and a lug on said lever enp a 106k mechanism, P y anticreep means gageable w th d h d t provlde a secondary antlcreep prevent accidental movement of the lock from its locked When said coupler is rotated to an inverted position. 15 Position when the Coupler in its normal upright P 7 In a coupler a coupler head having a back wall non, and a secondary anticreep means to prevent accia trunnion depending from said integral with said back dental movement of the lock Q Its Posltlon wall, a lock operable in said head, a rotor lever mounted when the coupler 1S rotated to an Inverted Posmonon said trunnion for pivotal movement and limited verti- No references cited.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 3 -l l4 4l December 17 1963 Kenneth Va Livelsberger It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered pat ent requiring correction and that the sa id Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, line 17 for "said'',, first occurrence read and Signed and sealed this 5th day of May 1964.,

(SE-AL) Attest:

ERNEST W0 SWIDER Attesting Officer EDWARD Jo BRENNER Commissioner of Patents 

1. IN A BOTTOM ROTARY OPERATING RAILWAY DUMP CAR COUPLER, A COUPLER HEAD HAVING A BACK WALL, A TRUNNION DEPENDING FROM AND INTEGRAL WITH SAID BACK WALL, A LOCK OPERABLE IN SAID HEAD, A LIFTER HAVING ITS UPPER END CONNECTED TO THE TOP OF SAID LOCK, A ROTOR LEVER HAVING AT ONE END THEREOF A HOOK PORTION PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID TRUNNION AND MOVABLE VERTICALLY TOWARD SAID BACK WALL, MEANS PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTING THE LOWER END OF SAID LIFTER TO SAID ROTOR LEVER, PRIMARY ANTICREEP MEANS ON SAID LEVER COOPERATING WITH MEANS ON SAID LIFTER TO PREVENT ACCIDENTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID LOCK FROM ITS LOCKED POSITION WHEN SAID COUPLER IS IN ITS NORMAL UPRIGHT POSITION, AND A SECONDARY ANTICREEP MEANS ON SAID HOOK PORTION MOVABLE INTO POSITION FOR ABUTTING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID BACK WALL TO PREVENT ACCIDENTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID LOCK FROM ITS LOCKED POSITION WHEN THE COUPLER IS ROTATED TO AN INVERTED POSITION. 